The Cloak
by Strawberry Eggs
Summary: Lucina always wanted to try on her mother's favorite cloak. What happens when she gets the chance to do so?


"Mother, are you in there?" Lucina called from outside her parents' shared tent.

War camp or not, it was still common courtesy to knock—or the tent equivalent thereof. Robin was a busy woman, but she had said to her daughter that she wanted to teach her a new technique or two that she thought would synergize well with her swordsmanship. Lucina had been taught how wield a blade by her father, but never learned any sort of combat skills from her mother. She had fond memories of time spent with her mother being read stories and taught to play basic strategy games, but she had learned next to nothing of her mother's battling skills. Indeed, she had not ever seen her mother fight until she arrived in the past. True, Robin used magic often, an area Lucina herself performed poorly in, but there were also skills she could teach her daughter.

When Lucina received no reply she stuck her head through the flap. "Mother?" Sure enough, there was no one inside. Her parents' tent, though large in size, had sparse furnishings. They had a cot like everyone else, albeit a big one, and chests for their personal belongings. There were also a few chairs, comfy looking, but still plain.

Other than that was a small desk with sheets of paper strewn all over it. A few large books were stacked to one side of the desk and at the top was a familiar title, one that caused Lucina to crack a small smile. Her mother did not read fiction often, but she made a few exceptions. Lucina started to read the same book years ago, but had since become too busy upon her parents' deaths and Grima's resurrection. If she were to finish it she would have to start from the beginning, as she had forgotten all but the most basic summary of the first part. What she did remember were the characters, especially the lead heroine. Lucina read novels about as often as Robin, but both her mother and even Cynthia recommended it. Cynthia did not pick up her mother's love of books, but she was captivated by this novel ("It's a story about a street urchin girl who not only discovers her true power, but finally learns to trust people. She and the others in the crew are thieves who fight for justice, just like my father! Oh, and they're up against none other than the immortal God-Emperor who ruled for world for one thousand years. That's just incredible!").

Taking one last scan of the tent before intending on finding Robin Lucina noticed one other object of interest: Her mother's dark purple cloak, which was lying on the cot. It was odd for Robin to be without her trademark article of clothing. Lucina found herself walking into the tent and toward the cloak, almost drawn by it. When she reached the cot, she traced over the gold and lighter-purple embroidery. The eye pattern on the sleeves indicated a connection to Plegia, though Lucina was not sure how. She never asked her mother about it in the future and the Robin of this time was just as baffled by the pattern as anyone. Lucina had suspicions she did not like to dwell on and from what she had seen of her parents' relationship and of her mother's character, was feeling increasingly certain (or perhaps hoping ever more strongly) that her fears were unfounded.

The blue-haired girl moved from touching the garment to lifting it up and looking it over. Lucina thought briefly about her brother's duplicate cloak. He tried on their mother's garment multiple times throughout his youth, despite it being much to big for him. Sometime after their parents' deaths, he had his current cloak made and wore it ever since. Lucina herself, though, had never worn the article of clothing. She glanced towards the tent flap to ensure that it was not still open or that someone was standing there. She then unfastened her cape and scabbard. Once removed, she hurriedly slipped the cloak on.

The garment was a little big on her, the bottom nearly dragging on the ground; Robin was a tall woman, after all. Lucina looked herself over as best as she could, though she wished she had a mirror. She put the hood up and then promptly lowered it when noting that it covered her eyes completely. Despite the eerie eye pattern on the sleeves and loose fit, the cloak felt…cozy? Was that the right word? It was not like being wrapped in a quilt, but its familiarity made it comfortable.

The phrase "Lucina the tactician" flashed briefly in her mind, causing her to chuckle. Her mother and brother often told her that she had a good head for strategy, but thinking on her feet was not the same as carefully planning beforehand. She respected her mother's work and thought her brilliant, but Lucina only occasionally offered suggestions during strategy meetings. She could certainly never be a tactician.

"Lucina?"

The princess gasped, turning around suddenly. Standing in the entryway of the tent was Robin, her hair wet and with a towel draped over her shoulders. She had apparently just gotten out of the bath.

"Uh, mother…"Lucina trailed off, at a loss for words.

The Queen of Ylisse blinked repeatedly, a bemused expression on her face. Lucina simultaneously wanted to know what was going through her mother's mind, and to just vanish on the spot.

"I can explain…"

Robin's look of puzzlement dissipated and instead shifted to a warm smile. Lucina relaxed, realizing that it was foolish for her to be worried.

"You know, I thought it would be at least another decade before you started trying on and borrowing my clothes," Robin said. Lucina blushed and her mother chuckled lightly. Robin then walked over to Lucina and wrapped her arms around her in an embrace. Such acts of affection from Robin were not uncommon, but it was still unexpected.

"It looks good on you," Robin said after she released Lucina from the hug.

"Huh? Really?" Lucina replied.

"Really, my dear. It makes you look…" Robin paused, as if thinking over her words carefully, "…it highlights the features you inherited from me. Even I think you take more after your father, at least physically."

Lucina smiled and stated, "One of those traits was not your height, judging by how loose this cloak is on me." Robin laughed again and Lucina followed suit.

"Well then, shall we go and teach you those techniques? You can keep wearing my cloak, if you'd like," Robin said.

Lucina shook her head. "That is not necessary, Mother." She took off the garment and handed it to the tactician. "I only wanted to try it on for a little while. I have satisfied that wish by now."

* * *

A/N: I like re-classing Lucina to Tactician and Grandmaster just to see her in that purple cloak. It makes her look like she's borrowing her mother's clothes. XD As you can imagine, that notion eventually lead to this silly little one shot. I haven't done anything plotless and pointless like this for a few years now. They rarely come to me, but I enjoy doing them once in a while. I hope at least some of you enjoyed it as well.


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